Malaysia has a diverse educational system, comprising public, private, and international schools. However, regardless of the school system in which their child is enrolled, ensuring that they are taught and trained to realize their greatest potential is a top priority for most parents.

As a result, parents must make difficult choices, ranging from sending children to after-school tuition sessions to enrolling them in a Chinese vernacular school to acquire a second language to sending children to private or international schools to receive better global exposure.

However, these options have advantages and disadvantages, with some parents believing that public school instruction is inadequate, others believing that Chinese vernacular schools are too stern and academic-focused, and private and foreign schools are prohibitively expensive.

As a result of these factors, a rising number of parents are opting to home school their children, which gives them not only greater control but also greater flexibility over their child’s education.

If you are one of those parents considering homeschooling for your child, this guide will help you get a good head-start in that new journey.

How to help my child prepare for Homeschooling

1 – Planning and scheduling

It may be a short two weeks of HBL before the term ends, it is encouraged to plan and schedule every day to prepare your child for Home-Based learning.

It is to ensure your child does not fall behind during these two weeks.

Every school has a different plan for their students and Home Based Learning assignments can be based on:

1. E-learning (online assignments through Student Learning Space or other learning platforms)

2. Email messages (notes, worksheets through email)

3. Hard Copy assignments (worksheets or textbooks)

HBL to a certain extent is much more flexible than attending physical school hence, it is good to be aware of what your child is tasked to do during their HBL week to keep them on track.

Parents are highly encouraged to establish a timetable or learning structure with your child and incorporate break times for your child to get a breather from school.

(Source: The Straits Times)

2 – Tuition

With the June holidays coming and the sudden announcement of school and tuition centre closures, the graduating students might be caught in a tighter spot.

Online tuition like Tutopiya offers convenient and fuss-free tuition at the comfort of your home, you will be able to meet your tutor online and learn as you would face to face.

Tutopiya offers a pool of experienced specialist tutors that are readily available to teach your child. We also conduct assessment tests to find out your child’s strengths and weaknesses to plan their tuition learning schedule in their best interest.

Our tutors are trained and ensured to deliver quality online tuition for your child. Academic help has never been this convenient and hassle-free!

3 – Resources

It might be difficult to find useful and relevant study resources now that tuition centres and schools are closed.

There are a lot of education forums, blogs and resources available online, which may include past year papers, additional worksheets that are aligned with the syllabus.

In addition to online tuition with Tutopiya, the resources that we provide for our students are prepared by a team of experienced tutors and teachers who understand the MOE syllabus well and the resources are intentionally curated to be aligned with the syllabus that your child is studying.

We also ensure that our graduating students receive the help they need to prepare for their upcoming national examinations.

4 – The administrative things to online learning

Besides all the tips mentioned above, to embark your child on their Home-Based Learning, it is good to ensure that your child is ready too.

They can do so by:

1. Setting up an area conducive for learning

2. Ensuring they are familiar with the following:

2.1 Password and login IDs to their student portal and accounts

2.2 Their HBL timetable and relevant materials

2.3 Point of contact for HBL queries, teachers will inform their students their preferred way of communication, and teachers are not required to share their personal numbers with their students

Make sure that your child also has access to the following tools:

1. Digital tools that allow annotation of notes

2. Digital shortcuts

2.1 Students can bookmark their browsers for quicker access to their studying materials and they will know what to do when the class starts

5 – Understand what your child needs when you consider how to prepare for homeschooling

Whilst it is important to prepare your child for Home-Based learning, we understand that it is not an easy time for our parents and children. Hence it is important to understand what your child might be feeling, especially our graduating students.

It can be difficult for graduating students to cope during this time and it is always good to ensure that your child is mentally healthy. Parents are encouraged to spend quality time together as a family and let your child enjoy time spent together despite the ongoing pandemic and temporary school closure.

You can plan indoor activities as a family, cook together or spend time watching movies together to unwind and relax at the end of the day. Encourage your child to speak up if they feel uncomfortable and unconcentrated.

How to prepare for homeschooling in a nutshell?

It is everybody’s responsibility to stay safe and be a civilised learner. Our schools have to be the safest place for our children hence, we are all in this together to overcome the pandemic!